. >> after that the president moved to hawaii and that's where he is today. the congress is back home for the holidays and you have the fiscal cliff, that's still looming and as they call for armed guards in all of the nation's schools we'll talk to kasim reed, mayor of atlanta and one of the people around the country who say we need fewer gun, not more. >>> as millions travel home for the holidays, stay tuned for that. good day. i'm richard lui at the top of the hour and just two days to go before the fiscal deadline and congress has gone home for the holidays. >> in the next few days i've asked leaders of congress to work toward a package that prevents a tax hike on middle-class americans and that's an achievable goal that can get done in ten days. >> i don't want tax rates to go up and republicans don't want tax rates to go up. the best way to address our crippling debt is to make significant spending cuts and fix our tax code, to pave the way for long-term growth and opportunity. >>> nbc's kristin welker is traveling with the president in hawaii and kristin, the president you are

. we just have to do the right thing. >> aloha, mr. president. he's in hawaii and congress is back home. when will there be a bargain to avert this fiscal cliff? >> the only way to stop a monster from killing our kids is to be personally involved and invested in a plan of absolute protection. >> the nr appeals a kickback after a group calls for more guns in schools to protect our kids. we'll talk to a mother, herself a victim of gun violence and an organizer with 1 million moms for gun control. >> they can keep pushing us and bumping us and moving us back. >> it's the holidays, you want to get home, but at the same time, what are you going to do? >> on this holiday weekend, thousands of flights delayed and we're watching that as the winter stom wallops the midwest and good day to you. i'm richard lui. the stalled fiscal cliff debate and the january deadline now just ten days away. president obama and his family are vacationing in hawaii and congress is on holiday recess after no new breakthrough and both sides are holding out and they'll be able to reach a deal. >> call me a hopeless op

heart. we begin with this live image from honolulu, hawaii where the president and first lady have just arrived. hundreds of hawaiians started gathering saturday to welcome the senator home and pay respects. inouye was a recipient for the medal of honor for his braver. kristen welker joins me now from honolulu. a warm christmas, i see. >> reporter: yes indeed. it is lovely here. >> the president is on christmas vacation and so is congress. that doesn't mean they don't have work to do as the fiscal cliff looms. i take it this is a working vacation. >> reporter: white house officials have described this as a working vacation and talks are going on behind the scenes between white house staffers and hill staffers. the reality is the bulk of this probably won't get done until after christmas when lawmakers are expected to resume negotiations. there is a lot of frustration especially among senior members in both parties in part because president obama, house speaker john boehner seem so close to getting a deal done. they were really close on taxes and entitlement reform. we saw that last week